Goggles



P. F. REEL March 8, 1955 GOGGLES Filed Sept. 15, 1951 INVENToR. Paul. REEL Hff'orney United States Patent O GOGGLES Paul F. Reel, Warren, Ohio Application September 15, 1951, Serial No. 246,735

3 Claims. (Cl. 2--14) My invention relates to goggles or the like and the principal object of my invention is to provide new and improved devices of the character herein disclosed.

My improved goggles are particularly well adapted for use by workers in industry; such as by Welders, grinders, chippers or the like. However, it will be obvious that goggles constructed according to my invention may also nd wide utility in other fields. It is to be considered therefore, that the embodiment disclosed in the following specification is illustrative only and that the invention is not limited to such specific uses.

Heretofore, one of the undesirable features of goggles has been the tendency for the lenses to fog. Some devices in the prior art have attempted to alleviate this condition by providing one or more air vents to provide for circulation of air behind the lenses. These vents have not been entirely successful since they generally provided insuficient circulation to prevent fogging and additionally they often created a hazard by permitting foreign matter to enter behind the lens. The means for successfully solving these and other problems will become apparent from the description which follows.

In the drawing accompanying this specification and forming a part of this application, there is shown, for purposes of illustration, an embodiment which my invention may assume, and in this drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of my improved goggles, v

Figure 2 is a plan view of the embodiment,

Figure 3 is a sectional view generally corresponding to the line 3-3 of Figure l, and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view generally corresponding to the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

As shown in the drawing, my improved goggles are preferably formed to provide a frame portion which is adapted to be worn by the user in the conventional manner, and eye protective lens portions 11 through which the wearer may see. The frame portion 10 is herein shown to comprise a pair of generally tubular members 12 (which may be formed of any suitable material such as plastic or metal), joined together by means of a bridge piece 13, connection being effected in any suitable manner, such as by rivets 1S.

As best seen in Figure 1, the members 12 herein disclosed are somewhat oval-shaped, but are flattened at 14 to provide a plane surface for attaching the bridge piece 13. The portions of the members 12 which rest against the wearers face are shaped to conform -to the face, and for comfort the edges may be padded with a cushioning material 16, such as rubber. Any convenient means may be used to hold the goggles in place during use, and such means are herein shown to comprise a head-encircling strap 17 which may have its opposite ends secured to the frame 10 by means of brackets 18.

The lens portions 11 are generally cup or tray-shaped and as herein shown comprise a plane surface 19 with the desired physical and optical characteristics, the surface 19 having its defining edge turned to provide a circumscribing, laterally-extending wall 20. As shown in Figure l, the lens portions conform to the oval-shape of the members 12, and as best seen in Figures 3 and 4, the wall 20 over-laps the member 12 but is spaced therefrom.

The lens portions 11 are presently mounted so as to space the plane surfaces 19 from the members 12, and the means for mounting each lens to a respective member 12 is shown to be a hinge 21. As best shown in Figure 4, the hinge 21 may be riveted to the lens 11 and to the V 2,703,403 Patented Mar. 8, 1955 "ice member 12, and as shown in Figure 2, the lens portions 11 may be swung about the pivots formed by the hinges 21 to the position shown in dot-dash lines.

A latch is provided to secure each lens in its eye-protecting position, and this latch is herein shown to comprise a metal tongue 22 which is secured to the lens 11 and which may pass through an aperture formed in the bridge piece 13. As shown in Figure 4, the tongue 22 may be formed to frictionally engage the bridge member 13 in manner common to this type of latch. It will now be apparent that the lens may be easily unlatched and moved to the dot-dash position whenever desired. When the lens is returned once more to its normal position, the tongue 22 will again frictionally engage the bridge piece 13 to hold the lens securely in place.

As shown in the various views, means has been provided to steady the lens portions 11 and to insure that the lens portions remain securely in place with respect to the members 12, even though the hinge 21 may become worn. Such means are presently provided by ribs 23 (herein shown to be four in number) which may be formed integral with the wall 20 and extend inwardly into contact with the member 12.

It will now be obvious that my invention provides for an improved goggle construction. Because of the spacing between the lenses and the members 12, air may circulate freely behind the lenses and thus not only prevent fogging thereof, but provide adequate circulation for keeping the wearers face cool. This circulation is provided for without the attendant possibility of foreign matter endangering the eyes of the wearer becasue of the circuitous path any entering foreign matter would have to follow. Another important feature is the ease with which the lenses may be moved aside to provide unobstructed vision whenever desired.

In view of the foregoing it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that I have accomplished at least the principal object of my invention and it will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiment herein described may be variously changed and modied, without departing from the spirit of the invention, and that the invention is capable of uses and has advantages not herein specifically described, hence it will be appreciated that the herein disclosed embodiment is illustrative only, and that my invention is not limited thereto.

I claim:

1. A goggle construction, comprising frame means adapted to be positioned with respect to the eyes of a user, lens means for said frame means, said lens means being constructed to provide a circumscribing wall extending laterally therefrom in overlapping relation with said frame means, and rib means extending between said' circumscribing wall and said frame means for spacing said lens means from said frame means to provide for circulation of air therebetween.

A goggle construction, comprising frame means adapted to be positioned with respect to the eyes of a user, said frame means comprising two eye-encircling members of generally tubular shape secured together by means of a bridge piece, lens means for each of said eyeencircling members, said lens means being constructed to provide a circumscribing wall extending laterally therefrom in overlapping relation with respective eye-encircling members, and a plurality of ribs extending inwardly from each circumscribing wall of respective lens means for spacing said lens means from respective eye-encircling members to provide for circulation of air therebetween.

3. A goggle construction, comprising frame means adapted to be positioned with respect to the eyes of a user, said frame means comprising two eye-encircling members of generally tubular shape secured together by means of a bridge piece, lens means for each of said eye-encircling members, said lens means being constructed to provide a circumscribing wall extending laterally therefrom in overlapping relation with respective said eye-encircling members, a plurality of ribs extending inwardly from each circumscribing wall of respective lens means for spacing said lens means from respective eye-encircling members to provide for circulation of air therebetween, hinge means for pivotally securing each of said lens means to a respective member, said hinge means being arranged so that said lens means may be positioned in or out of a users normal line of vision, and latch means for releasably securing said lens means in one prese1ected position.

4 References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

